Steampunk Games
by xXAlyssaAlex88Xx
Summary: Before you say anything this is not like the Hunger Games. More like something from Fairy Tail. Enjoy... Pepper McCamley was enjoying life as it was. Days would come and go. She'd work in her garden and do the usual around the house work. Then she got a letter...


**Steampunk Games**

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Hello everyone! I'm trying out something new for a story! I realize that I haven't updated my other stories for quite some time. It's because I have writer's block with them... I am a failure. However, this one I am not writing by myself. My friends, Erin and Elanda, will be helping me out. I hope that we will be able to update once every two weeks if the story gets reader's attention. So, I hope that you enjoy this!

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**_The Red Envelope_**

It was a cold, melancholy Saturday morning. Fog screened the ground, covering every inch of grass so it was barely perceivable. Near a growing garden with little purple and blue flowers growing, stood a girl about fifteen. She had dark red hair that was pulled into two ponytails, fixed on her shoulders. She wore a blue shirt with sleeves that stayed at or above her elbows. Her shirt was brown with a darker belt fastened around her waist. She wore socks that fell just above her knees and almost blue boots. Her name was Pepper, named after the spice.

Dark clouds reigned over Pepper's head, threatening to rain down and ruin her developing garden. She sighed, walking over to the mailbox with her tea mug in hand, and opened up the white, rusty mailbox to get the mail that she didn't pick up yesterday. She glanced at each letter as she flipped through them. A red envelope caught her eye. She shoved the other letters back into the mailbox and walked inside her house, still staring at the letter. Pepper set her tea mug on the table and sat down on a chair. The chair was a bit wobbly so she had to hold herself up using her feet. She slowly opened the suspicious red envelope with her index finger. Inside was a burgundy note and a silver diamond ring. Pepper picked up the ring and carefully examined it, after setting it back on the table she took out the note and read it...

_Miss Pepper Kate McCamley,_  
_ You are unaware of this, but you have been chosen to be in the next Steampunk games. The games will be held in Bentley this year. The Steampunk games are a very important event in this hidden part of the world. Once every fourteen years we pick out a commoner to participate in the games. You were chosen to be part of the games this year due to your interesting qualities I've found in you. I hope you will prove yourself during the games. Good luck! I will send someone to come for you shortly after the summer solstice._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Lady Alana Susanna Gallagher_

After reading the letter Pepper set it on the table. "What is that supposed to mean?" She asked herself, letting her hands to run through her dark red hair. The ring that was on the table gleamed and caught Pepper's eye. She reached her hand to pick it up, then slowly put it on her index finger. It fit perfectly. She stood up from the table, trying to forget the letter, she went back outside to her garden. "The solstice is in three days..." She said to herself while picking up her watering can. "Steampunk Games?" Pepper repeated out loud showering some flowers with the almost murky water.

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A few days passed and Pepper had finished packing a small, blue bag to take with her. She had no clue what to bring or what to do. The bag held simple things; money, little granola bars, a water bottle, a book or two, some extra shoes, a sweatshirt, her cellphone, and a small blanket. After setting her fully packed bag by the door, Pepper went to the fridge, took the note, from Lady Alana Susanna Gallagher, and put it in the pocket of her jeans. A red suburban pulled up into Pepper's driveway. She ran to grab her bag then ran out to the very expensive car. As soon as she got out to the car, a man was standing by the door and opened it as soon as Pepper got there. "Thank you!" She said getting into the car. A few seconds later the man got into the car and turned around to face Pepper who was sitting in the backseat. He gave her an icy stare and looked her over from head to toe.

"You're not going to need that" the man said pointing at her bag. "I think I'll keep it" she said putting her hand on it. The man turned away from her and started the suburban. The engine started silently and a soft music started playing on the radio, it was unlike any other music she had ever heard, it was intimidating at parts but was also so sweet and crisp. As they pulled out of my driveway she looked back at her little house, it wasn't anything special but it was home. Pepper wasn't sure how long it would be until she got back, so she had put a note on my doorbell for anyone who came (which usually wasn't anyone) to water her flowers if they got a chance.

She looked forward, they turned left onto a dirt road. It was truly beautiful where Pepper lived, her house was surrounded by trees and fields, her property was almost four acres with her little house in the middle. In the back of the property was a tall hill that rose far over all the surrounding land. She loved sitting on top of it at night staring out over everything and gazing above at the stars. Tall trees surrounded the whole yard (even the hill) and there were always birds singing in them. The rest of Pepper's yard was made up of gardens or flower beds, she loved to nurture the plants and watch them grow, but where she lived winter came fast, killing everything in site, including Pepper's heart. For the four and a half months that the ground was covered with the thick white blanket she laid in bed, barely getting up to eat and thinking awful thoughts of death and destruction. When spring came and the snow melted, Pepper would arise from her depressing slumber and go out to garden for another year. Dreading the day the snow returned but it was only June now, she had a long time before that time returned.

Pepper looked back at the driver, he was quite large and gave off a cruel vibe that gave her the shivers. They had been on the road for a few hours by now and she no longer had her normally amazing sense of direction. Pepper was starting to doze off when a frightening thought occurred to her. Without any further question than a note from a lady she had never met in her life and she wasn't even sure was real she had gotten in a vehicle with a large creepy man who could well be a thief, or a kidnaper, or a rapist! She tried to keep her breathing normal and stay calm, if she was going to make it out of this she would need to think of a plan. She started to think about possible escape tactics but sleep caught up with her and she was soon falling into a cozy slumber about jumping out of moving vehicles and climbing out bathroom windows.

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As she awoke, Pepper gave a big yawn and stretched out over the back seat. All of a sudden the door she was resting on opened and she gave out a little shriek as she fell until a large hand caught her and pushed her back up onto the seat. "Thanks" she said embarrassed as she pushed her bangs, which were getting too long, out of her face. "Lady Gallagher would like to see you now" said the large, creepy man who had driven her there. "Oh, oh! okay!" she said looked down at herself and trying to fix her outfit. Suddenly realizing she hadn't changed her outfit in three days! It was wrinkled and you could tell that she had been sleeping in it. She tried to smooth it out but failed and instead decided to move on to her hair. It was also a mess but she managed to get it to a state where she would let someone see it. She got up grabbing her bag, she handed it to the creepy, large man who held out his hand for it. He led her out of the car and into a humongous garden that seemed to stretch forever, where it did seem to end there was an enormous white building. It looked like an amazing combination of the white house and some Roman building she had seen a picture of once in history class (back when she used to go to school).

She could vaguely remember that day, like an old dream that was starting to fade but seemed to different to forget. She was eight years old at the time and in 3rd grade, she was the youngest in her class and was picked on for it. They called her orangutan-girl because her arms were too long for her short body. She sat in the corner, watching the other kids all free time and drawing; she loved to draw. That day in particular she had stumbled upon that picture. She had scribbled it onto a page in her sketch pad and put a beautiful garden full of bright flowers in front of it. The teacher had admired it but the other kids just laughed at her when she shared that she was going to live there someday; and now here she was.

Pepper, led by the large man, walked to the building. As they got to the front, a young women, not much older than Pepper, was wearing a dark colored maid's outfit and sweeping the cobblestone that they stood on. The lady stopped to curtsy to Pepper who curtsied back. "Hello Ms. McCamley." She started. "I am going to be your servant for the rest of your stay here." She explained.


End file.
